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2026 WACE Politics and Law exam: What to learn from last year's mistakes
Exam: Wednesday 4 November 2026, 2.00 pm. Western Australia local time.
2025 exam average: 55.85%. Short answer averaged 58.21%, source analysis 58.59%, the Unit 3 essay 52.15% and the Unit 4 essay 54.53%.
I've gone through last year's report, paper and marking key. Knowing the topic wasn't the same as answering the question. Essays often became narratives, and Q9 exposed confusion between Parliament and the Executive.
1. Q1(b): Compare the two executives
3 marks.
Where an answer loses marks
Defining one executive without explaining the difference requested.
What you needed
Contrast the formal constitutional position with Westminster practice. Section 61 vests executive power in the King, exercisable by the Governor-General. Convention places day-to-day political leadership with the Prime Minister and ministers, with the Governor-General normally acting on advice. Make the comparison explicit in the same answer.
2. Q5(b): Use the source in your own words
4 marks.
Where students went wrong
The report flags excessive quotation in the source-analysis responses.
What they should have done
Explain the source's account of renewed cooperation during COVID-19: governments had different responsibilities and needed to coordinate their responses. Point to relevant source details, then explain their significance. Copying a paragraph gives the marker the author's explanation, not yours.
Try covering the source after reading it and explaining the relevant point aloud. Then reopen it to check accuracy before writing.
3. Q7: Evaluate the claim, not a Prime Minister's biography
25 marks.
Where students went wrong
The report says essays often described events instead of judging the claim.
What you needed
This question asked whether prime-ministerial roles and powers were unchecked, using several Prime Ministers since 2007. Test that claim with evidence of power and evidence of restraint. A paragraph should finish by explaining what its example proves about the strength of a check.
The essay guide allocates 8 marks to evaluation, assessment or analysis and 2 to the conclusion. A detailed timeline cannot do that work for you.
4. Q9: Keep Parliament as the institution being held accountable
25 marks.
Where students went wrong
Candidates confused parliamentary accountability with executive accountability.
What they should have done
Address both judicial review and elections, explaining how each holds the Commonwealth Parliament accountable and assessing its limits. Check every paragraph against the institution named in the question. A paragraph about ministers answering questions may fit another essay better.
Before writing, underline the institution, both mechanisms and the demand to assess extent. Those are the jobs your answer needs to complete.
These marks are allocations, not question averages. Use the 2025 official paper, marking key and examiner report. Check the official timetable and your personal examination timetable.
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